Clean install HD partition size?

I did a new build in Dec last year with Vista Ultimate on a WD 300 GB rapture drive. I partitioned the HD to 60 GB for the "C" drive thinking that I would not install "any" applications on the "C" drive. I would put the apps on the other partitions or another drive altogether. Games on the rapture drive, office productivity apps on another drive.

Apparently, some apps don't give the option to install anywhere else but the C drive. I can accept that but wish I had known that before partitioning.

I also created a "shared" folder on the desktop for moving large files from one networked PC to another. Well it didn't take long before the "C" drive was full. Raw Digital audio files are rather large and attempting to transfer files from one PC to the Vista Ult. PC choked the C drive.

In my next build I'm thinking it may be better to not partition the "C" drive at all. Give the operating system all 300 GB - room to breath for updates, etc.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom, thoughts, comments?

Thanks!

Except for security reasons and perhaps multiple users where access to all partitions is limited, I could never understand partitions at all for exactly your problem. Instead of partitions, I use simple folders which can expand and contract and are only limited to the size of the hd.

I ran Windows XP on a 7GB partition for 8 years.
I run Windows 7 on a 20GB partition.

I refuse to put any stuff on C: because it all gets nuked in a reformat, and I just don't have time for that. If you're worried about space, give Windows 7 40GB and be on your way.

Put your shared folder on another partition, change the temp directory to another drive.

Thank you Thrax - I have been doing that for along time now. It is so much simpler when your data is not mingled in with the operating system.

I have always used a 64GB partition size for Windows 7, I know that's larger than most people use but it works for me.

I also put the Paging File on a small separate partition. Windows seems to like it better that way.